RWBY: Alkaline-Returning Moon
by Shadowtrack
Summary: This is a one shot story that goes into the canon of my fan-fiction RWBY: Alkaline. It is dedicated to the late and great Monty Oum, who recently passed. May he find the peace he so desperately needed. A poem will be on page two, but that will be it.
1. Chapter 1

Tali was running as fast as she could through the trees to the recently settled village. The rest of her team was following closely behind her. They heard screams in the distance and could see smoke starting to haze out the sky.

"Faster. We have to move faster!" She demanded to her and her team.

_If we only were able to land our airship closer to the village we coul…Shut up and focus! No time for this. Keep a straight head and concentrate on doing the task at hand. You already saved one family. There are plenty more._

They encountered two ursa and Tali without hesitating, hip-fired Widowmaker's bullets straight into their faces. She reloaded the six-shooter as quick as any legendary gunslinger would and picked up her pace.

"You two, see what you can do about the shoreline. If they have any boats, get the civilians to safety. If not, enter the town from the North side and clear out the Grimm to make a stand at the beach. Manta, you don't let a single Grimm set foot in the town. Blast them to hell if they even try. I will signal when it is time to fall back. As for me, I'm clearing out the bastards inside the town."

The three nodded and went their separate ways, as Tali barreled straight into the heart of the town. Beowolves, Boarbatusks, Ursas, and Creeps were everywhere. The latter of which have taken to the rooftops of the sturdier houses consuming anyone who thought they were the least bit safe. Tali disposed of two that hadn't quite gotten to their prey yet with the loud crack of Widowmaker. The sound only drew the charge of a couple boars. One met the same fate as the creeps, but the other went into a tuck roll and accelerated towards Tali. She somersaulted over the boar, grabbing onto the ledge of a roof and exploded the boar into a red mist with one well-placed shot.

Tali tossed some dust bullets up in the air and propelled herself upwards after them. When she reached apogee, she slid the bullets into their chambers mid-air and twisted around to annihilate the Grimm. She fired all six bullets in under a second, each hitting their mark. Reloading in the same amount of time she saw a man running towards a crying little girl being pursued by a beowolf. Tali couldn't look long though, as four more ursas and seven beowolves started to surround her. She transformed her weapon, allowing for a bladed edge to hang over the barrel of the gun. The grip also extended, bringing the trigger along with it. A strap from the gun extruding from the revolver took hold of her wrist. She began to fire at the ursas, and the blade in front of the weapon cut the bullet in two, which landed straight into the eye sockets of the two lead ursa. She pivoted to the left and obliterated two beowolves; using the recoil to spin around taking two more out with the blade. Finishing her pirouette, she fired at the remaining two ursa dropping them like flies. The last three beowolves were rushed by Tali, parrying their claws by the use of the gun's barrel and blade. She snuck behind one and stabbed through the back of the head. Aiming at the final two, the bullet split and went through the skull of the one impaled into the chests of the others. The stopping power was still more than enough to take them down.

Frantically looking for the man and child, she spots them running from the beowolf towards the shoreline. The man was carrying the girl in front of him and the beowolf was gaining. Tali knew she was out of range for a good shot.

"NO. Not this time. I refuse! I REFUSE!"

She retracted the blade and ran as lightning towards the two in dire need. She passed house after burning house in a blur of speed. The beowolf pounced knocking the two to the ground. It snarled as it brought its head down to guillotine the man's head when Tali busted its skull open with a well-placed shot from Widowmaker. She helped the man to his feet, who buckled. Holding him up Tali ordered,

"Go, to the beach! Quickly I'll escort you there."

He shook his head with a weak smile.

"I can't make it. That Beowolf just broke my back. Please, just save the kid. And here….take this bandanna. It brings good luck."

He handed a white bandana to Tali, who immediately stuffed it in her pocket.

"Don't talk like that! You can make it. I can carry you on my freaking back if I have to!"

The man scrunched his face,

"And how do you expect to fight the Grimm with a cripple holding you down?! SAVE THE GIRL!"

He feebly pointed in the girl's direction who was cowering in fear from the destruction that lay before her. Tears started to form in Tali's eyes and she shook the man,

"You don't know what I'm capable of! You are getting out of here alive and you are getting this stupid piece of cloth back!"

She grabbed the man and put him on her back much to the dismay of the man.

"Let's go kid! We're booking it to the beach!"

A King Taijitu now broke through the houses behind them and slithered its way towards its prey. Tali and the girl ran, but the Taijitu started catching up to them. Tali fired a couple shots at the monster, but only two bullets hit their mark which didn't slow down the serpent. The Taijitu was getting dangerously close when the man whispered in Tali's ear who gasped,

"The world looks very different, when you are pushing yourself every second you got."

He proceeded to drive off Tali's grip and fall to the dirt. Tali looked back just in time to see the man swallowed by the King Taijitu. Tali's whole being was shattered and time slowed. She clenched her right fist.

_Damn it. Damn it! DAMN IT DAMN IT DAMN IT! _

She yelled to the child don't look back and forced back a waterfall of tears. Reloading her weapon, she and the child started running for the shoreline. There was still a job to do, and she would be damned if she didn't follow through on the man's final wish.


	2. No Time for Goodbyes

_Never let anyone tell you that something is impossible._  
You said when your spirit soared, being indomitable.  
Your face was red like roses  
And parted seas of sadness as a modern day Moses.  
No one yelled when you overworked,  
Though we told you to slow to be less irked.  
A north wind came blowing one day  
Leading your hope and confidence astray.  
You continued on without any regret,  
Reminding yourself of the people you will never forget.  
But then that gale turned cold and unyielding  
And you started to wonder who will be superseding.  
The rest of us watched on and raised you to apotheosis  
As your blood became red like roses.  
That last speck of dust left your hourglass  
If you could go, why should we not pass?  
Now I sit here coffee in hand,  
Debating whether or not this will be my final stand.


End file.
